Varun Tej's 'Kanche' beats the collection of 'Raju Gari Gadhi' and 'Columbus' at the box office in its first weekend.

Varun Tej's "Kanche" has made decent collection at the worldwide box office in the first weekend and topped the business charts, beating rivals "Raju Gari Gadhi" and "Columbus".

In terms of production, hype, promotion and volume of release, "Kanche" is bigger than "Raju Gari Gadhi" and "Columbus". The Krish-directed war drama features a young hero from the mega family. Its promos had created a lot of curiosity among the film-goers around the world. The movie registered good amount of advance booking for its opening day.

Trade analysts had predicted that "Kanche" would push down other two new release. Released in over 600+ theatres around the world, the movie debuted with very good response and registered an average of 70% occupancy in both single screens as well as multiplexes. It grossed Rs 4.25 crore at the worldwide box office on the first day.

"Kanche" garnered positive reviews from both critics and the audience and the good word-of-mouth was expected to take its business on the following days, but the movie witnessed a drop. Its business was affected by Dussehra festivities, the premiere of "Baahubali" on MAA TV and Sony Max, and the final match between India and South Africa.

As per early estimates, "Kanche" grossed Rs 13+ crore at the worldwide box office in the four-day extended first weekend. Made on a whopping budget of Rs 20+ crore, the movie has fetched Rs 14 crore the sale of its theatrical rights. It has got a share of Rs 7 crore to its distributors in four days. It is likely to return another 40%+ of investment to its distributors by the end of its opening week.

Released in a limited number of cinema halls, "Raju Gari Gadhi" opened to decent response and maintained rock-steady position on the following days. The movie, which has been made on a shoe-string budget, has grossed approximately Rs 5 crore at the worldwide box office in the four-day-extended first week. It has got a share of Rs 2.5 crore to its distributors in four days.

Like "Raju Gari Gadhi", "Columbus" is also a small budget film that lacked hype and promotion and has very limited release. The movie is estimated to have grossed approximately Rs 4 crore at the worldwide box office in the first weekend and its distributors' share stands at Rs 2+ crore.